Eddie Hearn hopes to make Romero vs. Catterall soon
If Eddie Hearn had his way, Rolly Romero versus Jack Catterall would be happening sooner rather than later.
Catterall soundly outboxed Shakhram Giyasov to win a unanimous decision and the WBA "regular" welterweight title on the undercard of “Glory in Giza” Saturday in Egypt. With the win, Catterall became the mandatory challenger for Romero, whom the WBA elevated to "super" champion earlier this week.
The WBA ordered Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) to face Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) within 180 days. Hearn, who promotes Catterall, wants to make the fight much sooner.
“Why wait 180 days?” Hearn said in the post-fight interview. “We don’t need 180 days. 90 sounds better.”
Romero, The Ring's No. 5-ranked welterweight, hasn’t fought since beating Ryan Garcia by unanimous decision in May last year and was in talks with WBO beltholder Devin Haney before negotiations collapsed. He was elevated to full champion when former titleholder Jaron Ennis moved up to junior middleweight the following month.
Catterall, The Ring’s No. 10-ranked welterweight, seized control of the fight in the first round when he dropped Giyasov with a hard left hand. That set the tone, as the British southpaw peppered his Uzbek counterpart with jabs and left hands that bloodied his nose.
The previously unbeaten Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs) entered the fight as the Ring’s No. 7-ranked welterweight contender.
“I could beat any of these champions at 147,” Catterall said. “I believe in myself.”
Catterall is 3-0 since moving up from junior welterweight to the 147-pound division last year.
“He deserves it,” Hearn said. “He’s ducked nobody. Every opponent we put in front of him, [co-manager] Sam [Jones] and Jack have said yes every time. No one wanted to fight Giyasov, especially Romero.”
“They avoided that fight for over a year. Jack stepped up, he becomes regular world champion tonight, and next up will be a shot at the super championship against Rolly Romero.”
Teofimo Lopez vs. Jack Catterall - November 2026
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Re: Rolly Romero vs. Jack Catterall - WBA Ordered
I like Rolly. He's a character.
But he's doing the American thing & getting all spiritual without really getting all spiritual. Doing a Madonna.
He should have had three losses in a row as Barroso was proper robbed that night.
But fair play for beating Garcia. He fought smart that night.
I still see Jack beating him fairly easily though but I do not see this fight ever happening. Rolly will fight Haney I think.
But he's doing the American thing & getting all spiritual without really getting all spiritual. Doing a Madonna.
He should have had three losses in a row as Barroso was proper robbed that night.
But fair play for beating Garcia. He fought smart that night.
I still see Jack beating him fairly easily though but I do not see this fight ever happening. Rolly will fight Haney I think.
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Re: Teofimo Lopez / Rolly Romero vs. Jack Catterall - November 2026
Catterall to face Romero-Lopez winner, November 19 deal deadline
Jack Catterall will be ringside when Rolly Romero fights Teofimo Lopez on August 22.
After impressively beating Shakhram Giyasov to win the WBA's secondary welterweight title in May, Catterall hoped the sanctioning body would order ‘Super’ champion Romero to make an immediate, mandatory defense of his 147-pound belt.
Instead, the 30-year-old has been allowed to move ahead with a fight against former two-division champion Lopez at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on August 22.
Catterall has always been easily avoided and had to fight and wait for every opportunity in previous years.
Winning the WBA’s secondary title ensures that The Ring’s No. 3 welterweight has a say in what happens politically. The way he went about beating the previously undefeated, dangerous Giyasov earned the British southpaw a great deal of respect from his peers and boxing insiders while taking his profile to a whole new level.
Rather than being an afterthought, Catterall will be in Las Vegas when the pair fight with the winner being given a hard date to agree terms to defend against him.
“I'm working for DAZN on August 22. I think I'm doing something over there in Vegas for their fight. They’ve got up until November 19 to make it. There can't be a unification. If it gets to November 19, the belt is mine,” Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) told The Ring before giving his ideal timeline.
“They’re fighting six weeks today. A cool off period of two weeks and then a certain timeframe to do a deal with the winner.
“As far as I stand, I'm training. I’ve got a little holiday booked then I'll be back, I'll be preparing. I'll have a little visit over there, go and do some sparring in Vegas - John [Gillies, his trainer] is going to come - come back and then hopefully, we know who's in a position to make the deal.”
After beating Giyasov, Catterall didn’t embark on an extended lap of honor, vanish from the gym and return three or four weight divisions heavier.
He was back training at the 4 Corners Gym in Liverpool on the Wednesday after the fight and was hoping to either roll directly into a Romero fight or stay busy against a top contender.
Time has ticked on and Catterall will now have to wait.
“I say it to everybody, I was born in the wrong era because I would fight every month,” he said.
“I understand where the sport is. It’s not like other disciplines where you can have a couple of losses and come back. Everybody’s too precious about money, who and when they're fighting.
“I won't fight now until November which is unfortunate because I asked Sam [Jones, his manager] could we still get a fight? Could we get a Jose Ramirez or somebody? It's out the window now so I'll look after myself and stay ready for the winner of that fight.”
Romero and Lopez are both capable of brilliance but are also prone to bouts of inconsistency.
Romero (17-2, 13 KOs), seemed set for lift off after beating Ryan Garcia in May 2025 but a series of failed negotiations have prevented him from capitalizing on the career-best win.
On his day, Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) can be one of the world's best but will make his first appearance since Shakur Stevenson brilliantly disarmed and outboxed him at Madison Square Garden in January.
That loss persuaded him to try his luck at 147 pounds. It is that air of unpredictability that makes the fight such an interesting one on paper and so difficult to break down.
“I think they’re both them characters aren’t they? They’re hot and cold,” Catterall said.
"If I had to bet, I would put a bet on Teo but, then again, like we've seen before he can be underwhelming. To be fair, I’m surprised sometimes by Rolly so it's a good fight in that respect but I do think Teo would win."
Jack Catterall will be ringside when Rolly Romero fights Teofimo Lopez on August 22.
After impressively beating Shakhram Giyasov to win the WBA's secondary welterweight title in May, Catterall hoped the sanctioning body would order ‘Super’ champion Romero to make an immediate, mandatory defense of his 147-pound belt.
Instead, the 30-year-old has been allowed to move ahead with a fight against former two-division champion Lopez at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on August 22.
Catterall has always been easily avoided and had to fight and wait for every opportunity in previous years.
Winning the WBA’s secondary title ensures that The Ring’s No. 3 welterweight has a say in what happens politically. The way he went about beating the previously undefeated, dangerous Giyasov earned the British southpaw a great deal of respect from his peers and boxing insiders while taking his profile to a whole new level.
Rather than being an afterthought, Catterall will be in Las Vegas when the pair fight with the winner being given a hard date to agree terms to defend against him.
“I'm working for DAZN on August 22. I think I'm doing something over there in Vegas for their fight. They’ve got up until November 19 to make it. There can't be a unification. If it gets to November 19, the belt is mine,” Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) told The Ring before giving his ideal timeline.
“They’re fighting six weeks today. A cool off period of two weeks and then a certain timeframe to do a deal with the winner.
“As far as I stand, I'm training. I’ve got a little holiday booked then I'll be back, I'll be preparing. I'll have a little visit over there, go and do some sparring in Vegas - John [Gillies, his trainer] is going to come - come back and then hopefully, we know who's in a position to make the deal.”
After beating Giyasov, Catterall didn’t embark on an extended lap of honor, vanish from the gym and return three or four weight divisions heavier.
He was back training at the 4 Corners Gym in Liverpool on the Wednesday after the fight and was hoping to either roll directly into a Romero fight or stay busy against a top contender.
Time has ticked on and Catterall will now have to wait.
“I say it to everybody, I was born in the wrong era because I would fight every month,” he said.
“I understand where the sport is. It’s not like other disciplines where you can have a couple of losses and come back. Everybody’s too precious about money, who and when they're fighting.
“I won't fight now until November which is unfortunate because I asked Sam [Jones, his manager] could we still get a fight? Could we get a Jose Ramirez or somebody? It's out the window now so I'll look after myself and stay ready for the winner of that fight.”
Romero and Lopez are both capable of brilliance but are also prone to bouts of inconsistency.
Romero (17-2, 13 KOs), seemed set for lift off after beating Ryan Garcia in May 2025 but a series of failed negotiations have prevented him from capitalizing on the career-best win.
On his day, Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) can be one of the world's best but will make his first appearance since Shakur Stevenson brilliantly disarmed and outboxed him at Madison Square Garden in January.
That loss persuaded him to try his luck at 147 pounds. It is that air of unpredictability that makes the fight such an interesting one on paper and so difficult to break down.
“I think they’re both them characters aren’t they? They’re hot and cold,” Catterall said.
"If I had to bet, I would put a bet on Teo but, then again, like we've seen before he can be underwhelming. To be fair, I’m surprised sometimes by Rolly so it's a good fight in that respect but I do think Teo would win."
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Re: Teofimo Lopez / Rolly Romero vs. Jack Catterall - November 2026
Should be next. If mandatory is still active
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Re: Teofimo Lopez / Rolly Romero vs. Jack Catterall - November 2026
Catterall Presses Lopez For Mandated WBA Title Shot Next
Newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez has his sights set on a unification bout against the winner of Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn for his next fight.
Boxing politics could force Lopez to deviate from that plan.
Jack Catterall holds a secondary WBA welterweight title and is Lopez’s mandatory challenger. Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) beat Rolando “Rolly” Romero (17-3, 13 KOs) by majority decision for the WBA welterweight title on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
While the Brooklyn native prefers to face the winner of Garcia versus Benn, England’s Catterall is steadfast that he must be next for Lopez, or else he should be stripped of the title.
“Congratulations on the weekend, but we need to stop all this talk of undisputed and unifying,” Catterall said during an appearance on “Inside The Ring,” which streamed Monday on DAZN. “There’s not been a mandatory defense for the WBA title for about two years now. I was informed by the WBA it was 180 days from my last fight, which lands us in November. I’m good to go. I was ready to fight Rolly. You had a nice touch of the weekend. Let’s get it on. … We've got to reach a deal, or else you’ve got to pass over the belt.”
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) is set to defend his WBC 147-pound title against Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card will stream on Paramount+ in the United States and DAZN via pay-per-view and its Ultimate plan in the UK and Ireland.
While facing Garcia or Benn next would make for a much bigger fight, Lopez is open to a bout with Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs).
“I will fight anybody and everybody, and I think you know that,” Lopez said during the abovementioned episode. “That’s why he was rooting for me to beat Rolly.”
Lopez, 29, entered The Ring’s welterweight rankings at No. 5 after Saturday. Catterall, 33, is The Ring’s No. 3-rated contender at 147 pounds.
“I’m glad you won at the weekend because I know you don’t duck nobody,” Catterall said to Lopez. “It’d have been more difficult to get Rolly in the ring. I’m happy for you, but we’ve got to get it on.”
Catterall won the secondary WBA welterweight title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Shakhram Giyasov on May 23 in Giza, Egypt. The WBA ordered Romero, who had the title at the time, to face the British southpaw within 180 days of May 23, which lands on November 19.
“He’s definitely paved the way,” Lopez said regarding Catterall. “He’s been really adamant calling all the champions out, and I remember we talked about in the previous conversations after his win in Egypt, so you never know, man. Everything and anything is possible. I think if he’s the mandatory, then we’ll see with my legal team, and we'’ll work over that.”
Catterall affirmed that he’ll make sure he gets his shot at Lopez next.
“There’s not one ounce of me that will say yes to any step aside to let any unification happen,” Catterall said. “I’m here. I’ve been in this position before years back waiting for [Josh] Taylor for undisputed, and I kept getting sidetracked. There’s not $1 that can persuade me to step aside to allow a unification bout to happen. I’m here to fight.”
Lopez and Catterall’s paths have intertwined at 140 pounds without them stepping into the ring against each other. Catterall was set to rematch Taylor in March 2024 after losing a controversial split decision in February 2022, before the latter was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury.
Instead of immediately rescheduling the rematch, Taylor pivoted to a bout with Lopez in June 2023 because the WBO installed Lopez as his mandatory challenger. Lopez won a wide unanimous decision to become The Ring and WBO 140-pound champion.
Catterall faced Arnold Barboza Jr. for the vacant WBO interim 140-pound title in February 2025, but he narrowly lost a split decision. Lopez faced Barboza (33-1, 11 KOs) nearly three months later and won a one-sided unanimous decision.
Newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez has his sights set on a unification bout against the winner of Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn for his next fight.
Boxing politics could force Lopez to deviate from that plan.
Jack Catterall holds a secondary WBA welterweight title and is Lopez’s mandatory challenger. Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) beat Rolando “Rolly” Romero (17-3, 13 KOs) by majority decision for the WBA welterweight title on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
While the Brooklyn native prefers to face the winner of Garcia versus Benn, England’s Catterall is steadfast that he must be next for Lopez, or else he should be stripped of the title.
“Congratulations on the weekend, but we need to stop all this talk of undisputed and unifying,” Catterall said during an appearance on “Inside The Ring,” which streamed Monday on DAZN. “There’s not been a mandatory defense for the WBA title for about two years now. I was informed by the WBA it was 180 days from my last fight, which lands us in November. I’m good to go. I was ready to fight Rolly. You had a nice touch of the weekend. Let’s get it on. … We've got to reach a deal, or else you’ve got to pass over the belt.”
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) is set to defend his WBC 147-pound title against Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card will stream on Paramount+ in the United States and DAZN via pay-per-view and its Ultimate plan in the UK and Ireland.
While facing Garcia or Benn next would make for a much bigger fight, Lopez is open to a bout with Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs).
“I will fight anybody and everybody, and I think you know that,” Lopez said during the abovementioned episode. “That’s why he was rooting for me to beat Rolly.”
Lopez, 29, entered The Ring’s welterweight rankings at No. 5 after Saturday. Catterall, 33, is The Ring’s No. 3-rated contender at 147 pounds.
“I’m glad you won at the weekend because I know you don’t duck nobody,” Catterall said to Lopez. “It’d have been more difficult to get Rolly in the ring. I’m happy for you, but we’ve got to get it on.”
Catterall won the secondary WBA welterweight title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Shakhram Giyasov on May 23 in Giza, Egypt. The WBA ordered Romero, who had the title at the time, to face the British southpaw within 180 days of May 23, which lands on November 19.
“He’s definitely paved the way,” Lopez said regarding Catterall. “He’s been really adamant calling all the champions out, and I remember we talked about in the previous conversations after his win in Egypt, so you never know, man. Everything and anything is possible. I think if he’s the mandatory, then we’ll see with my legal team, and we'’ll work over that.”
Catterall affirmed that he’ll make sure he gets his shot at Lopez next.
“There’s not one ounce of me that will say yes to any step aside to let any unification happen,” Catterall said. “I’m here. I’ve been in this position before years back waiting for [Josh] Taylor for undisputed, and I kept getting sidetracked. There’s not $1 that can persuade me to step aside to allow a unification bout to happen. I’m here to fight.”
Lopez and Catterall’s paths have intertwined at 140 pounds without them stepping into the ring against each other. Catterall was set to rematch Taylor in March 2024 after losing a controversial split decision in February 2022, before the latter was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury.
Instead of immediately rescheduling the rematch, Taylor pivoted to a bout with Lopez in June 2023 because the WBO installed Lopez as his mandatory challenger. Lopez won a wide unanimous decision to become The Ring and WBO 140-pound champion.
Catterall faced Arnold Barboza Jr. for the vacant WBO interim 140-pound title in February 2025, but he narrowly lost a split decision. Lopez faced Barboza (33-1, 11 KOs) nearly three months later and won a one-sided unanimous decision.
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Re: Teofimo Lopez vs. Jack Catterall - November 2026
Eddie Hearn will fight hard to ensure Teofimo Lopez takes on Jack Catterall next
Promoter Eddie Hearn has set the record straight, the way he sees it, regarding his fighter, WBA Regular welterweight champion Jack Catterall facing WBA Super welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez next.
Despite Lopez and his manager, Keith Connolly’s, expressed desire to chase undisputed status by facing the winner of the upcoming fight between WBC welterweight champ Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn on September 12, Hearn says the matter is already settled.
“It's very straightforward,” said Hearn. “Keith's doing what Keith should be doing, trying to get the biggest fight possible for Teofimo Lopez. What we can't do is just disregard a resolution and an order from the WBA.
“Jack Catterall is the mandatory for Teofimo Lopez,” asserted Hearn. “That regular title was put in place because Rolly Romero ducked Shakhram Giyasov for years and they (the WBA) allowed all these fights. And eventually, I said, look, have you got a problem with Shakhram Giassov?
What we'll do is we'll make it easier for you. He'll fight Jack Catterall for the regular title. The winner must fight Rolly Romero within 160 days. Agreed. Signed. Everything.”
In May of this year, 33-year-old “El Gato” Catterall, 33-2 (14 KOs), won a unanimous 12-round decision over Uzbekistan’s Giyasov to become WBA Regular champion.
“Then they (the WBA) allow him to fight Teofimo Lopez,” Hearn continued, “they write to us and they say just to let you know, Jack Catterall fights the winner, so it'll be a fight.”
29-year-old “The Takeover” Lopez, 23-2 (13 KOs), went on to win a majority 12-round decision over Romero on August 22, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We have emails from the WBA saying Jack will fight the winner next. That is it. And I will fight like a motherfucker to make sure that that is honoured, because if we're going to support these governing bodies in this war that's going on at the moment, you have to play by the rules, and you have to do everything that's fair under the rules that effectively you have written.”
Hearn says he doesn’t blame manager Connolly for attempting to help his fighter Lopez to circumvent the WBA’s mandate.
“So, this going to be a big, big fight, right? This going to be a pissing contest or whatever you want to call it… But by the way, I don't blame Keith. I'd do the same thing if I was Keith. Just not with those terrible glasses on.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn has set the record straight, the way he sees it, regarding his fighter, WBA Regular welterweight champion Jack Catterall facing WBA Super welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez next.
Despite Lopez and his manager, Keith Connolly’s, expressed desire to chase undisputed status by facing the winner of the upcoming fight between WBC welterweight champ Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn on September 12, Hearn says the matter is already settled.
“It's very straightforward,” said Hearn. “Keith's doing what Keith should be doing, trying to get the biggest fight possible for Teofimo Lopez. What we can't do is just disregard a resolution and an order from the WBA.
“Jack Catterall is the mandatory for Teofimo Lopez,” asserted Hearn. “That regular title was put in place because Rolly Romero ducked Shakhram Giyasov for years and they (the WBA) allowed all these fights. And eventually, I said, look, have you got a problem with Shakhram Giassov?
What we'll do is we'll make it easier for you. He'll fight Jack Catterall for the regular title. The winner must fight Rolly Romero within 160 days. Agreed. Signed. Everything.”
In May of this year, 33-year-old “El Gato” Catterall, 33-2 (14 KOs), won a unanimous 12-round decision over Uzbekistan’s Giyasov to become WBA Regular champion.
“Then they (the WBA) allow him to fight Teofimo Lopez,” Hearn continued, “they write to us and they say just to let you know, Jack Catterall fights the winner, so it'll be a fight.”
29-year-old “The Takeover” Lopez, 23-2 (13 KOs), went on to win a majority 12-round decision over Romero on August 22, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We have emails from the WBA saying Jack will fight the winner next. That is it. And I will fight like a motherfucker to make sure that that is honoured, because if we're going to support these governing bodies in this war that's going on at the moment, you have to play by the rules, and you have to do everything that's fair under the rules that effectively you have written.”
Hearn says he doesn’t blame manager Connolly for attempting to help his fighter Lopez to circumvent the WBA’s mandate.
“So, this going to be a big, big fight, right? This going to be a pissing contest or whatever you want to call it… But by the way, I don't blame Keith. I'd do the same thing if I was Keith. Just not with those terrible glasses on.”